Page 5 of Beasts of Mine

“Not that one,” I told Mara, glancing over as though the distinction should have been obvious.

Mara considered me for a moment before recognition settled over her expression.

“Oh, you're one of those photographers,” Mara said, leaning against the doorframe as she crossed her arms.

“One of what?” I asked Mara, pausing before attaching the lens.

“The kind we have to remind to eat,” Mara explained, watching me with the confidence of someone who had already identified one of my worst habits.

I almost denied it.

Then I remembered the emergency protein bars buried in my backpack and the embarrassing number of times something similar had become dinner because I'd lost track of time.

“That feels unnecessarily judgmental,” I told Mara, turning back toward the window before my expression gave me away.

“Accurate, though?” Mara asked, laughing softly when I didn't answer immediately.

“Occasionally,” I admitted to Mara as I adjusted the focus ring.

“Just don't disappear into the forest because you spot something interesting,” Mara warned, her tone turning more serious as she pushed away from the doorway.

“I don't disappear,” I told Mara, lowering the camera enough to glance toward her.

“You wander?” Mara asked, one eyebrow lifting.

“I intentionally go somewhere without always planning the exact destination beforehand,” I explained to Mara, hearing how weak the argument sounded only after I'd said it aloud.

“That is wandering, Evie,” Mara replied, her mouth twitching despite the warning in her expression.

“It sounds much less professional when you call it that,” I told Mara, smiling as I returned the camera to my eye.

“Do you at least carry GPS?” Mara asked, pausing in the hallway with one hand resting against the doorframe.

“Always,” I assured Mara, tapping the unit clipped to the outside of my field pack.

“So did one of our researchers last year,” Mara replied, giving the GPS a pointed look.

I lowered the camera again.

“What happened to her?” I asked Mara, my curiosity winning over the tanager for the moment.

“She got turned around and walked straight into a swamp,” Mara explained, her face serious enough that I couldn't tell whether I was supposed to laugh.

“Did she get back out?” I asked Mara, frowning.

“Yes,” Mara answered with a short nod. “But she lost a boot.”

“I brought two pairs,” I told Mara, pointing toward my luggage with a satisfied smile.

Mara stared at me for a long second.

“I'm going to regret telling you where the trails are,” Mara muttered, shaking her head as she finally walked away.

“You probably are,” I called after Mara, smiling to myself before returning my attention to the bird.

By late afternoon, I had unpacked most of my equipment, completed the safety briefing, checked in through my satellite communicator, and learned exactly which routes I was permitted to use without another member of the research team.

The rules were reasonable.